Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for the time, and I rise today in strong support of both the rule and the bill itself, this emergency supplemental.

I want to take this time to speak briefly about the devastating flood situation in our Midwestern States, and particularly in my home State of Iowa.

I also want to thank Chairman Obey very much and Mr. Lewis from California for their efforts in producing the $2.65 billion of disaster relief in this package that is part of the supplemental agreement. I think the six funding components of the package will be of significant help to the residents of Iowa and other Midwestern States as they continue to cope with this disaster. I hope that we can continue to work together through the process to provide this needed assistance.

This past Monday, after several days of touring affected areas in and near my district in Iowa, I talked with the committee about the devastation in Iowa and what I thought we would need initially to help us get through this.

It is difficult to fully grasp the magnitude of the devastation and loss unless you see it firsthand. City blocks, town squares, neighborhoods, businesses and homes are underwater. The damage and the extent of the flooding will exceed that of 1993. Illustrating the magnitude of these floods is the fact that Iowa Governor Chet Culver has issued an emergency proclamation for 83 of Iowa's 99 counties, all of which have experienced significant damage. Forty-two of the 83 designated counties have thus far been declared presidential disaster areas, and the flooding has not yet stopped.

This great flood of 2008 has displaced nearly 40,000 Iowans from their homes, and countless others have been displaced from hospitals and nursing homes. The damage in Iowa and to her people is staggering and will not be fully known for some time yet. In the agricultural sector, there are projections of losses in the range of $2 billion to $2.7 billion by themselves. When combined with the damage and losses of homes, businesses, hospitals, community facilities, roads, bridges and levees, the impact obviously will be staggering. Every sector of Iowa's economy has been touched, and the range of damage is endless.

I look forward to continuing to work with the members of the Appropriations Committee and others in the House in a bipartisan effort. We must pledge to continue to produce needed resources in a timely manner to help facilitate a quick recovery for Iowa and other Midwestern States.

I thank the committee and its leadership again, Chairman Obey and Ranking Member Lewis, for their help.

The committee and its leadership and this institution have a long history of working together to find consensus solutions for the tragedies that befall Americans. The people of Iowa and the Midwest are watching us and waiting for a helping hand to recover from this horrific tragedy. I sincerely appreciate the great help that the House of Representatives is giving the State and throughout the Midwest, and look forward to working on an ongoing basis to make this happen.

Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of Congressman Braley's amendment and to express my deepest sympathies to all my fellow Iowans affected by the tornados that recently tore through Iowa. It is my hope the intense grief felt by those suffering from the sudden loss of a loved one will be lifted, even for a moment, by the prayers of hope from strangers.

For those of us who have the privilege of living in America's heartland, severe weather is nothing new. Tornados are a seasonal reality we all live with. But, when disaster strikes and takes the lives of our friends and neighbors--we are never prepared to witness the power of Mother Nature and the tragedies she can leave in her wake.

Through the tears and sense of disbelief, Iowans again have pulled together to help friends, family and strangers in need. Over the years, I have had the misfortune of viewing many communities damaged by storms. Earlier this week I toured the flood ravaged parts of my district. The scenes painted by wind and water are heartbreaking, but it never ceases to amaze me how quickly Iowans show their true mettle by bringing hope and strength to their towns.

I know for many Members of Congress, tornados rarely, if ever, affect your communities. When you see the astonishing videos of storms and the aftermath, I ask that you take a moment and think about our first responders and the people who find themselves in need. We must take every step possible to prevent and prepare for disasters like the State of Iowa has experienced in recent weeks. This amendment will go a long way towards that important goal.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Iowa and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the diligent and steadfast service by Chief Deputy Dennis Polley and congratulate him on his retirement from the Marshall County Police department. During Dennis's tenure as Chief Deputy he has consistently demonstrated commitment to his position, his co-workers and his community.

For the last 32 years, Chief Deputy Polley served Marshall County faithfully and honorably. Chief Deputy Polley's daily courage goes above and beyond what we are asked of as citizens of this country. His service in providing safety to his community earns him respect and honor and for this I offer him my utmost respect, congratulations and thanks.

I commend Officer Dennis Polley for his many years of loyal service in protecting Iowans. It is an immense honor to represent Officer Polley in the United States Congress, and I know that my colleagues join me in wishing him a long, happy, and healthy retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Bill Kibby and to congratulate him on being inducted into the Iowa Athletic Directors Hall of Fame

Bill Kibby has been a teacher and coach for 44 years, 40 of which he has been an athletic director. His educational career began as a teacher at Bayard Consolidated School. At Bayard he was involved in coaching football, basketball, cross country, and track. He then began his tenure at Johnston High School where, in 1967, he became the school's athletic director. After his service in Johnston, Mr. Kibby moved to Fort Dodge where he was St. Edmond Catholic High School's football coach and athletic director for 21 years. For 16 of those years he also helped coach track, but resigned when he accepted the position of principal at Sacred Heart Junior High School. During his time at St. Edmond and Sacred Heart he also made time to coach basketball and softball.

In 1988, Mr. Kibby took his final position in his stellar educational career at Jefferson-Scranton. Upon his retirement in 2006, Mr. Kibby continued to coach football at Jefferson-Scranton.

In his long and illustrious career Mr. Kibby can boast of many exemplary achievements. During his time as a coach, his football teams combined have claimed over 200 victories, including more than 100 wins at two different schools, and 11 state football play-off contests.

Mr. Kibby has also been bestowed with many noteworthy individual awards. In 2006 he was named IFCA Coach of the Year and

was a finalist in 2004 for Iowa High School Athletic Association Athletic Director of the Year. In 2001 Mr. Kibby received the IHSAA Bernie Saggau Award of Merit.

I would like to express my appreciation to Mr. Kibby for his steadfast dedication to education and congratulate him on the honor of being inducted into the Iowa Athletic Directors Hall of Fame.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mrs. Bonnie Baker of Clarion, Iowa on her 26-year postal career and congratulate her on the occasion of her retirement. Mrs. Baker has been a shining example of dedicated public service throughout her career.

Mrs. Baker began in 1982 by working as a window clerk in Dows, Iowa. The following year she moved to the Clarion Post Office, again working the front window. During her tenure in Clarion, Mrs. Baker worked periodically at the EDS plant when her services were needed. In October of 1993 she accepted a full-time position working for EDS.

Mrs. Baker was responsible for a variety of duties at her most recent position, including resolving different mailing problems that may arise, managing the transportation system, and instructing new employees on their various assignments.

I commend Bonnie Baker for her service to the State of Iowa throughout her many years in her postal career. It is an immense honor to represent Mrs. Baker in the United States Congress, and I know that my colleagues join me in wishing her a long, happy and healthy retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate Charles Clayton on earning the Community Hero Award, given by Safeco Insurance, for his longtime dedication to helping others and inspiring positive change in his community of Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Charles is the founder of ``Athletics for Education and Success.'' By receiving a second chance as a youth, he felt the calling to educate and empower underprivileged youth. Athletics for Education and Success gives selected youth the opportunity to participate in athletic programs they are likely unable to afford. Charles incorporates education with athletics by focusing on tough issues that kids face today including drugs, teen pregnancy, and gangs.

In addition, Charles has also organized a Disproportionate Minority Representation Council in Fort Dodge to create partnerships between citizens, law enforcement authorities, and schools in order to reduce the disproportionate amount of minority youth arrests in the area.

Charles's dedication to his community and his commitment to improving the life of others should be commended. I consider it an honor to represent Charles Clayton in the United States Congress and I know my colleagues join me in wishing him the best in his continued work serving others.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Jennifer Jorgensen on her exemplary basketball career and congratulate her on receiving the honor of being named Iowa's 2008 Miss Basketball.

Jennifer recently graduated from Southeast Webster-Grand High School and will be attending Pacific University to continue her illustrious basketball career. Jennifer has been recognized with a variety of accomplishments including a three-time first team all-state basketball choice as well as the IBCA all-region team.

Jennifer leaves behind a stellar basketball career, finishing as Iowa women's second all-time leading scorer, fourth in rebounds, and fifth in assists.

Jennifer is a shining example of the dedication and determination present in today's youth and their promise as tomorrow's leaders. It is an honor to represent Jennifer and her family in the United States Congress and I know my colleagues join me in wishing her the best of luck in her upcoming journey into higher education and collegiate athletics.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a great achievement by seventh-grade student Talia Leman of Waukee, Iowa. Talia was named one of America's top ten youth volunteers for 2008 with the National Prudential Spirit of Community Award.

Talia was selected from a field of nearly 20,000 candidates for her outstanding volunteer community service. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards were created 13 years ago to encourage youth volunteerism and to identify and reward young role models. Talia received a personal award of $5,000, an engraved gold medallion, a crystal trophy for her school, and a $5,000 grant from The Prudential Foundation for a nonprofit charitable organization of her choice.

Talia created ``RandomKid'' an organization that seeks to educate, motivate and unify young people around the world to work on a broad spectrum of pressing needs. She began the organization 2 years ago by encouraging kids to collect coins instead of candy on Halloween, and donate the money to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Her message was widely publicized to kids across the country and reportedly raised millions of dollars for Katrina victims.

Talia established a nonprofit organization and created the website, www.randomkid.org which solicits young people for projects to help rebuild the Gulf Coast, raise money to build a school in Cambodia, find homes for stray pets, and collect DVDs for soldiers overseas. Talia is currently encouraging schools to make and sell their own private- labeled bottled-water products to help fund clean-water technologies. She's also working on setting up a ``mini-United Nations'' made up of young delegates from around the world who work together to address global children's issues.

Talia is a shining example of the dedication, determination and faith present in today's youth and their promise as tomorrow's leaders. I am proud to represent Talia Leman and her family in the United States Congress. I know that my colleagues join me in commending Talia for her accomplishments and dedication to making a difference in the world.

Madam Speaker, on June 9, I was touring flood damaged parts of my district in Iowa and was not present for votes. Had I been present for Rollcall votes 388, 389 and 390, I would have voted ``yes''.

Madam Speaker, I wish to make the following disclosure in accordance with the new Republican Earmark Transparency Standards requiring Members to place a statement in the Congressional Record prior to a floor vote on a bill that includes earmarks they have requested, describing how the funds will be spent and justifying the use of federal taxpayer funds.

Requesting Member: Congressman Tom Latham.

Bill Number: H.R. 5658, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009.

Account: MilCon, Air National Guard.

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Iowa Air National Guard.

Address of Requesting Entity: 7700 NW Beaver Drive, Johnston, Iowa, 50131.

Description of Request: Authorizes appropriation of $5.6 million for the construction of a new Vehicle Maintenance Facility and remodeling of the existing Communications Facility located at the 133rd Test Squadron in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Updating facilities at the 133rd Test Squadron is of the utmost importance and highest priority for the Iowa National guard. This project is approved on the U.S. Air Force Future Year Defense Plan (FYDP), and has been assigned the number HEMT039066. The facility is significantly short of space due to the expansion of the unit's mission, manning and resources. Since it is the only unit designated to test future Command and Control (C2) projects for the U.S. Air Force, the performance of the 133rd Test Squadron is vital to Air Force missions. A detailed financial

plan based on form DD 1391 required by the Department of Defense for military construction projects follows.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express shock in the way this spending bill has been written and dumped into our laps, sight unseen, except by a few members of the Democratic Leadership.

This supplemental bill has been crafted without the input of rank and file members, completely circumventing the committee process.

There have been no hearings, no debates, no amendments allowed and about 18 hours to review this enormous bill.

We now have a few members of the house, substituting their judgement on serious wartime funding issues, for the other 430 Members of both parties.

Think about that for a minute. You and your colleagues have had no say in this bill--none. Again, members will have had 18 hours to review this 250 billion dollar spending bill.

This is very troublesome to me as a member of the people's house and I know, for a fact, that it's troublesome to members from both sides of the aisle. Today, the 3 million citizens of my State of Iowa, and millions of other Americans--which, by the way, include soldiers serving overseas and their families waiting for their safe return--will have no say in how their tax dollars are being spent for our military.

Whatever your position is on the war, or any Federal spending in this bill, the Speaker has set a terrible precedent for this institution. To the extent that we value precedent around here, this is not the type of bad precedent we should be allowing.

Both democrats and republicans deserve better, and we deserve a voice.

The way this process has been handled also taints the legislative success of good bills based on good ideas. The case in point is the inclusion of legislation I fully support and of which I am an original co-sponsor--the post 9/11 Veterans' Educational Assistance Act. This bi-partisan bill overhauls the G.I. bill education benefits and increases the benefits available to veterans.

This is a good bill dropped into an emergency spending bill that the Democrats know will not become law. The majority is using the G.I. bill for their political play book of attacks against Republicans in the upcoming elections--pure and simple.

This provision, as a standalone bill, has wide support from veterans groups and Republicans and Democrats in both the House and the Senate. But the American people have the right to have their Members of Congress debate and amend the bill.

I want to read a quote that is relevant to this sad situation. it comes from the Democrats' ``New Direction for America'' agenda--``Bills should generally come to the floor under a procedure that allows open, full and fair debate consisting of a full amendment process that grants the minority the right to offer its alternatives, including a substitute.''

Evidently, the Democrat leadership has abandoned that position, and rewritten the agenda to read: ``Spending bills should be written by the leadership, in secret, and sent to the floor of the House under a closed rule, safe from the rules of regular order, traditional debate or any risk of being amended by duly-elected members of the House--from either party.''

The citizens of this country deserve better, and the members of this body, on both sides, deserve better. This type of practice has no place in this house.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize high school athletic trainers Brian Jaquette of Fort Dodge High School and Sue Wilson of Johnston High School, for their quick thinking in treating a football player who suffered serious internal injuries during a football game last fall.

The injured football player was tended to by Jaquette and Johnston, who decided that his abdominal pain was serious enough to call for an ambulance. It turned out that the injured player was suffering from a ruptured gall bladder, which would have caused blood poisoning and possibly death if left untreated. Were it not for Jaquette and Johnson's accurate initial examination and determination, it is unlikely that his injury would have been treated in time.

The quick thinking and calm demeanor displayed by these two athletic trainers serves as a wonderful example to all those who care for others. I commend Sue Wilson and Brian Jaquette for their outstanding professional work and dedication to the young athletes they serve. I am honored to represent each of them in the United States Congress, and I wish them the best in their careers.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Osage High School senior Tianna Sullivan for helping to save the life of an elderly woman who had wandered away from a health care center.

In the early morning of January 20, 2008, Tianna was driving home in 14 degrees below zero weather and came upon 88-year-old Marguerite Miller. Marguerite was barefoot and clothed only in a hospital gown. Although Tianna was scared, she knew that Marguerite needed help immediately. Tianna attempted to get Marguerite in her car, but she was so cold and stiff that she could only clutch to Tianna for warmth. Tianna dialed 911 and stayed with Marguerite until Osage police officer Brian Wright arrived. Marguerite's body temperature had dropped to 90 degrees, and they had a difficult time getting her in the police car due to her stiffness from the cold. An ambulance then came and took Marguerite to Mitchell County Regional Hospital. Later, she was taken to the Iowa City hospital burn center to treat her frostbite injuries.

Tianna's heroic actions and quick thinking set an example for us all. Tianna's courage goes above and beyond what is asked of us as citizens of this country, and her willingness to help a stranger in need illustrates the compassion of Iowans; willing to do whatever it takes for the safety of our fellow citizens. For this I know my colleagues in the United States Congress join me in offering Tianna our congratulations and thanks. I am extremely honored to represent Tianna in Congress, and I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Tahira Hira's appointment to President George W. Bush's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy.

On January 22, 2008, President Bush established the new Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, chaired by Charles Schwab. Dr. Hira is one of only 16 members appointed by President Bush. The Council's purpose is to help keep America competitive and assist the American people in understanding and addressing financial matters. The Council will work with the public and private sectors to help increase financial education in schools as well as for adults in the workplace.

Dr. Hira came to Iowa State University in 1980. She is the executive assistant to the university president and a professor of personal finance and consumer economics. Dr. Hira has been teaching and conducting research in family financial management, consumer credit, gambling, and consumer bankruptcy since 1976. She has published approximately 100 articles and book chapters and given approximately 200 national and international presentations in her field. Dr. Hira has also received various awards for her work and serves on several national committees and boards.

Dr. Hira's list of awards and accomplishments represents the valuable resource she has provided to Iowa State University and financial education in America. She certainly has earned her position on the President's Advisory Council, and I know she will excel in her special advisory role.

I commend Dr. Tahira Hira for her longstanding dedication and diligence to her profession and for her efforts to improve our Nation's financial literacy. I consider it an honor to represent Dr. Hira in the U.S. Congress, and I wish her the best while serving on the President's Council and in her future work.